


Autumn Day

by JustAndrea



Category: We Bare Bears (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 15:47:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8167403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAndrea/pseuds/JustAndrea
Summary: For Charlie, the first day of Fall is a pretty special day for him - so special in fact, that he has a whole routine that he does to both celebrate it and help him prepare for the rest of the season! And who better to join him for this tradition than his favorite panda?





	

As loud and joyful as the three bear brothers could be at times, the cave was always a quiet and serene place in the mornings. Small noises like birds tweeting or the occasional dawn storm were never disruptive enough to wake any of them up (if anything, the white noise added to their last few hours of peaceful slumber). Even when the youngest bear woke up to begin his morning routine, he made extra sure not to make enough of a racket to wake his brothers, allowing them to wake up at their own pace.

Simply put, mornings in the cave were made for sleeping in, lazily waking up, peace and - of course - a warm breakfast. Only once all those things were achieved did the real excitement or fun of the new day begin. …Maybe this was why when Panda was suddenly woken up from a hard knock outside of his bedroom door, he was not only annoyed, but confused.

“Ugh,” Panda mumbled slightly as he got out of bed, Mr. Duck clutched tightly in his arm. He couldn’t help but shiver a bit when his feet touched the cold dirt floor, though he still forced himself to trudge on and leave the comfort of his bedroom - just in time to hear another knock at their front door. “Who’s-?”

“Ice Bear’s got it,” Ice Bear stated as he walked towards the cave entrance. He opened the door slightly, just to see who it was, but before he could even decide whether or not their guest in, the door was pushed in the rest of the way for him. “Hey guys!” a cheery voice exclaimed, a voice Panda recognized before the creature had even showed his face (good thing too, since the face would’ve just been a big blur to him without his contacts).

“Charlie?” Huh. It was rare for him to actually knock, but if it meant not breaking into their house (again), Panda would take it. “What are you-?”

“Oh hey, Pan Pan!” Charlie greeted, giving a grand wave with one of his long arms (and nearly knocking a nearby scarf off a coat rack in the process) as he stepped inside, “I wasn’t really sure what time you guys woke up, but I sure am glad to see ya awake! Heh, on the other hand, I don’t really blame ya for bein’ too excited to sleep! Frankly, I couldn’t either, given what day it was!”

“Day?” Panda repeated, raising an eyebrow. Had he forgotten about a holiday, or was it just a holiday that forest animals and- …whatever Charlie was, celebrated?

“Yeah!” Charlie nodded, his smile getting even bigger, “It’s the first day of fall!”

“…Oh.” Honestly, that was all Panda could really say to this information. Other than a slight distaste for spring because of the allergies and a slight excitement for winter because of presents, he didn’t really care about the seasons - at least, not as much as Charlie obviously did.

“I know, right?!” the taller creature replied, not noticing Panda or Ice Bear’s lack of interest whatsoever, “And I’ve got this whole little routine I do just for it! It’s been kind of a tradition for me for- well, heck, for as long as I can remember! Aw man, it’s a blast! And, well… With this bein’ the first First Day of Fall since we’ve all known each other, I was just wonderin’…” He rubbed his neck a bit as his eyes filled with hope. “Maybe ya’ll would want to join me?”

“Oh. Er, well…” Panda forced a small smile as he tried to think of a way to let him down gently, “That sounds… interesting but, I mean, it IS pretty early. Grizz isn’t even up yet, and-”

“Ice Bear is still cleaning and cooking,” Ice Bear finished for him.

Charlie’s smile faltered a bit, but didn’t fall just yet. “Well, you know, the kitchen and the cave’s still gonna be here when we get back, so maybe you can just-” His voice froze in his throat the moment he saw the very stern look he was getting from the polar bear, indicating that he had his own ‘routine’ that he didn’t want to be interrupted. “…Right, got it. I mean, I understand. Chores ARE important after all…”

Panda held back a sigh. “Look, Charlie, maybe we could do this Fall Routine with you this afternoon?

After some consideration, the tall creature gave a bit of a sheepish look. "Well… I, I guess we could but, well, it’s sort of an 'all day’ thing, and I kinda like to start early… But, but it’s fine, really! I mean I did sorta spring this on you guys at short notice, and I know you’re busy so… Maybe next year?”

“Uh, yeah, maybe…” Even if it wasn’t too confident of an answer, Charlie still accepted it. And with that, he started to excuse himself, forcing his face to remain happy looking and positive. After all, he still has a job to do, and he couldn’t let a bit of disappointment keep him from it.

As Charlie left the cave though, Panda could feel his stomach start to turn - and it wasn’t just his hunger that was causing it. It was almost a Deja Vu feeling actually, almost feeling as bad as the time he nearly left Charlie to spend his night alone after he went through so much just to help him make it to the brothers’ dinner reservations…

Squeezing the plushie in his arm slightly, Panda rushed forward (trying not to bump into anything in the process) and caught the door before it could close. “Charlie, wait!” Even with his poor vision, he could see his friend turn and give him a curious look. “Uh… This routine thing, the first part of it is only going to take a couple hours, right?”

“Oh yeah!” Charlie replied enthusiastically, his smile becoming a bit more genuine now, “I mean, the rest takes all day but sure, it usually only takes about two or three hours to finish the first part! Four hours, tops! …Er, why do you ask?”

Panda didn’t reply right away. On the one hand, spending his early morning in the forest instead of his warm bed doing whatever it was Charlie was wanting him to do and not getting to eat breakfast didn’t sound appealing to him at all. But on the other hand… “Well, I guess if it’s just for the morning, I could help you with your-” He didn’t even get to finish his sentence before he felt himself getting lifted off the ground.

“Oh wow, thank you Panda!” Charlie said as he hugged the bear tightly, “I just know that you’re gonna LOVE it! And I promise that we’ll get back in time for breakfast! And if not that, then definitely brunch! But trust me, the wait will be worth it! Now come on, friend! Let’s get started!”

With that, Charlie set Panda back on the ground, only to start pulling on his arm and leading him away from the cave. “Ah! Wait!” Panda shouted as he tried to pull him back, “CHARLIE!” “Hm?” “I have to get ready first!” “Oh! Heh, right, my bad!”

Unable to help but rolled his eyes a bit, Panda walked back inside while Charlie just sat down on the front lawn and patiently waited for his friend. Thankfully, it only took Panda about ten minutes to put his contacts in, take care of his morning hygiene, and grab a scarf for him to wear. As he left his home for the second time though, he noticed his little brother giving him a bit of a curious look. Why was he doing this? Honestly, Panda could only give him a bit of a shrug before walking out the door and being greeted by Charlie’s now-clear smiling face.

“Heh… I guess, let’s get started,” Panda told him with a small, slightly cautious smile of his own. After all, this whole Fall Routine-Tradition thing wouldn’t be too bad! …Right?

()()()()()()()()()()

“Alrighty! Just a little farther now! Then- Whoops!” Charlie stomped in his tracks, smirking a bit as he reached up and easily plucked an orange leaf that would’ve probably fallen on its own within a couple days off an old oak tree. “You didn’t think I was gonna miss you, did ya?” he asked the leaf before putting it on top of his already huge collection of leaves and pinecones in his arms.

“Ugh, a-are you talking to me?” Panda asked, trying to look past his own pile of leaves.

“Nope!” Charlie said simply, not noticing Panda’s annoyed frown.

“Gah, Charlie, why are we even-” He paused when he felt the autumn wind brush up against his fur. It started out as just a light breeze, and then: “Oh no.” A huge gust slammed into him, and not only did it make him feel like he was absolutely freezing, but it knocked nearly all his leaves out of his arms. “Nonono, gah! Not again!”

“Don’t worry, Pan-Man, we’ll catch 'em!” Charlie shouted, trying to move his own pile to just one arm so he could help while Panda started frantically (and fruitlessly) chasing the leaves around. He did manage to catch a few, as did Charlie, but within just a few short minutes, the rest were blown away and scattered across the vast Californian forest. And, being only able to stare in defeat as this happen, Panda resisted the urge to throw his remaining leaves on the ground.

“Charlie, why are we even doing this?!” he snapped, unable to go without asking any longer.

“W-Well, it’s just somethin’ I do!” Charlie retorted, shrinking slightly, “You know, for the forest! I mean, how else are the animals gonna have what they need?”

“That-!” Panda blinked. “Wait, what?” Didn’t animals just gather whatever they needed for the winter on their own?

Charlie didn’t mind the confusion though. “Come on, I’ll show ya! Oh, and uh, you don’t have to worry about grabbin’ more leaves unless you really want to.” Panda stared at him for a moment before following curiously, deciding to keep the leaves he had.

Within about ten more minutes of walking, the two finally made it to a medium sized clearing. Setting his pile down, Charlie quickly gathered up whatever leaves and pinecones were in the area and added them to it. “Geez…” Panda mumbled, more out of surprise than annoyance now (though he was admittedly a bit annoyed about all the dirt and sap now in his fur). Despite it only just being the first day of fall, there were already so many leaves! Did Charlie do this every day in the fall? He could only imagine how big the pile would be once the season ended.

Suddenly, as if he could read Panda’s mind, Charlie turned to look at him. “I only do this a couple times each fall - just when the leaves I have start to go rotten - but I gotta make sure I do it right!” He then turned back to the pile and started to fluff and sorta sculpt it until it looked absolutely perfect. “There!”

“Wow…” Panda offered Charlie a small smile as he smiled proudly at his work. “That’s really gre-” Deciding he was done admiring, the forest creature rushed forward with a grin and promptly fell right into the pile. “…Great.”

“Awww yeah, that’s the stuff!” Charlie said as he stretched, not minding all the dirt or even some of the obstacles like the prickly pinecones or the sometimes sharp stems of the leaves.

Despite the weirdness of it, Panda couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “So, you do all this just to make a bed?”

“Well, that’s how it started out,” Charlie started to explain, putting his arms behind his head, “But then I got to thinkin’, what if other guys out here need a bed? And yeah I know squirrels and rabbits have got their own homes, but that don’t mean they won’t need a place to stop and relax at when they’re out huntin’ for a meal! So, this gives them a place to stay! And-” He held up one of the pinecones. “A snack to eat! Plus, if I’m here too, I can give them some company!”

“Charlie…” It was a noble idea, it really was. Though, knowing Charlie’s relationship with the rest of the forest creatures, they’d either be indifferent to his 'gift’ and not use it nearly as much as Charlie hoped they would, or they would ignore it completely. But even so- “That’s really nice of you. Pretty creative too. Heh, all we ever did with leaves was jump in them.”

He was expecting Charlie to chuckle a bit at that, but instead he only raised an eyebrow at him. “Why the heck would you do that?”

“Well, it was fun!” Panda explained, “But, I guess we were pretty little at the time, so-”

“You think you and I could try that?” Charlie asked suddenly.

Panda frowned, glancing back over at the pile. “But then, all your hard work would be wasted.”

Charlie tsk tsk’d at him. “OUR hard work would be wasted!” she corrected before give a small wave, “But that’s no big deal! I can always just refluff the ol’ pile afterwards! Come on, whadaya say, Panda?”

The bear thought for a bit before smiling. “Oh alright, fine. But just once, alright?” He had enough dirt in his fur as is.

“Yeah, sure thing!” Charlie nodded excitedly, “Okay, now! …How do we do this?”

Holding back a chuckle, Panda took his hand and walked him back a few feet. “Okay,” he started, remembering how he and his brothers did it as cubs, “On the count of three, we run forward, and just before we get there, we jump! Got it?”

“Yessir!” “Alright.” They both crouched down slightly as they prepared to run. “One…” Almost immediately, Charlie’s smile fell. He looked down at himself - at his long legs - and then at Panda. “Two…” Thankfully, an idea made Charlie’s smile returned. Yeah, that would work! This was gonna be great! “Thre-AH!”

Without warning, Charlie scooped him up and ran forward. And, once they were about a foot away from the pile, the forest creature jumped up high and plunged them both into a sea of red, orange and brown, letting out a loud holler as he did so.

Seconds later, he poked his head out of the pile and threw his arms up in a cheer. “Woo-wee! Boy, you sure we’re right about that idea, Panda! That WAS fun! Did you-? Hm? Pan-Pan?”

Feeling a bit concerned now, Charlie nearly dived back into the pile to search for his friend. Thankfully though, the bear resurfaced as well after a couple more seconds. He was sputtering and coughing slightly, but he was also laughing - and laughing hard - and gave a small cheer of his own in between the giggles. Not even the pinecone now stuck behind his ear or his scarf now needing to be washed along with the rest of him was enough to wipe the happiness from his face. “I, I can’t believe I forgot just how FUN that was!” Any worries he had now about getting dirty or germs or anything like that seemed gone, at least for the moment, and it was like he was a little kid again!

“I know, right?!” Charlie agreed, now chuckling along with him, “Definitely better than just sleepin’ in them!” Now he had two reasons to gather up leaves and pinecones for his fall routine.

“Heh, yeah!” Panda nodded as his laughter finally started to fade, and he let himself fall back into the leaves with Charlie soon following, laying down right next to him and allowing their arms to touch just a little. After a moment though, Panda pouted slightly and turned to his companion. “You didn’t really have to pick me up, though.”

Charlie shrugged, giving another small chuckle. “I wanted us to jump in together, and there’s no way I could’ve ran slow enough got that. So, I took the second option.”

Eh, fair enough. Panda couldn’t really blame him for that one. So, he just let out a small sigh and continued to lay there, despite a small part of him cringing at all the dirt and bugs he must’ve been surrounded by. At least there were other things to focus on: The cool breeze that was now not quite as strong but still noticeable and even kind of welcome, the smell of oak and cedar and pumpkin in the air, the surprise comfort of their 'bed’, the warmth of Charlie’s fur…

Blushing slightly now, Panda tried to casually move away a bit - just to let him have his space - but stopped when he thought he heard something. A rustle, and not just from the leaves he was touching. “Hey, uh, did you hear-?”

The rustling got louder, traveling from the bottom of the pile to right next to where Panda’s head was - right where a possum poked it’s head out, causing the bear to let out a loud scream and leapt back into Charlie’s arms. Charlie however, didn’t seem concerned in the least. “Oh hey there, O'Possum!” he greeted, “Heh, guess we’re surprised to see you here! Whadaya need, a nice nap? A quick snack?”

The rodent stared at him for a few seconds before grabbing a couple leaves with its mouth and running off with them. “Okay then! Hope you enjoy, come back soon!” Charlie shouted after it as Panda finally started to let go of him.

“Uh, maybe we should fix up your pile, in case anything - er, anyone - else stops by.” “Oh, yeah! Good thinkin’!” With that, Charlie started to fix up the pike, grabbing stray leaves and making sure everything was in order. And, once he was certain that nothing else was going to jump out at him, Panda started to help.

After a few moments, he spoke up again. “So, what else do you do on the first day of fall?”

“Oh! Weeeeell-” He took a couple seconds to think about it, wanting to make sure he didn’t forget about anything, “After I gather leaves and pinecones, I travel over to the north side of the forest and gather up some of the apples that grow over there and just bring 'em over here! Most of them I just leave around for other critters to find, but some of them I’ll take and carve little faces into them. You know, just for decoration - heh, or a more friendlier looking snack.”

Panda giggled a bit. “Just like Jack-o-lanterns!”

Charlie blinked. “Jack-a-whu?” “Uh, never mind, I’ll tell you about them later. So, what do you do after the apples?”

“Well, after that I’ll usually help the squirrels gather up their acorns, just to give 'em a bit of a head start in their collecting. Heh, they’re such polite little guys though, they won’t even take my acorns until after I’ve put them on the ground and left. Then the rest of my routine is easy! Gathering up old wood and branches for campfires when the nights start to get cold, help the animals clear out their dens so they can start makin’ new ones for winter, find some forest vegetables to eat - onions, mini pumpkins, squash, things like that - and finally, I end the day by havin’ a big roasted veggie and pinecone supper under the stars.”

Charlie’s smile softened a bit, almost looking sheepish now, “'Course, some of this stuff I end up havin’ to do throughout the season no matter how much of it I do on the first day but, I still like doing all these things in one day just to make it feel special, you know?”

“Yeah, I can sort of get that. And, that all sounds… really nice actually,” Panda smiled. No, not just nice. It sounded like something that was actually worth doing every year.

Charlie beamed. “D'aww, thanks man. It’s not much but, hey, I like doing it. I’d offer you the chance to come with me for some of the other things but, well, I did promise that I’d get you home in time for breakfast.”

“Oh. Right…” Panda felt his stomach growl just at the mention of the word. But, instead of it encouraging him to quickly leave and head back home, it instead gave him an idea. “Hey, Charlie? I was sorta thinking, if you don’t mind, before I head back and you do the rest of your fall routine… Maybe I could show you one of my fall traditions?”

()()()()()()()()()

With most people either already at their jobs or school or still in bed if they were lucky enough, the streets were pretty empty. Thankfully, that meant that the coffee shops were pretty empty too.

After taking a moment to take in the delicious scent, Panda carefully walked across the street with his two styrofoam cups and brown paper bag in hand, into the park and eventually over to the edge where the park met the forest, near a few bushes and a very tall tree. “…Pssst!”

Cautiously, Charlie poked his head out - though, once he caught a whiff of what Panda had for them, being careful didn’t seem nearly as important. Handing him one of the cups, Panda made sure to hold the remaining cup and the bag tightly as he climbed over the bush and sat down on the other side of it. Maybe not as comfortable as a coffee shop seat, but still not too bad, he supposed.

“So I just drink it through the straw?” “Yep!” “Ah. A-and I drink the white stuff too?” “It’s called whipped cream, and yeah, it’s all really good together! Be careful though, it’s still pretty hot.” Turning his attention back to his own cup, the bear let it cool for a couple seconds more. Part of him sorta regretted not taking his phone with him, but considering who he was with, it really was for the best. Besides, the world of blogs already had enough pictures of pumpkin spice lattes in it.

“Mmph?!” Hearing that small cry, Panda quickly turned back to Charlie, but was relieved to see an excited look on the creature’s face rather than a panicky one. “Whoa! That has a bit of kick to it, doesn’t it? But- oh! Oh man, that after-taste!” He quickly started taking another sip, this one much bigger than the last. “Mmmmm~!”

“Heh, yep. Here-” He opened up the bag and pulled out a warm blueberry scone, handing it to him, “Try it with this.”

“Don’t mind if I do!” Charlie grinned as he took the scone, nearly finishing it off with just one, huge bite. “Mmmm! Pwetty good!” He swallowed. “Could use a lil’ somethin’ though, maybe cinnamon? Or maybe some cheesy poof dust! A little of that never hurts!”

Panda rolled his eyes. “You think everything tastes better with cheesy poof dust,” he told him before he took a sip of his own latte.

“Only cause it’s true!” Deciding not to argue, Panda just laid back against the trunk of the tree and enjoyed his delicious drink as its warmth spread throughout his body.

Maybe he wasn’t much of an outdoors bear - especially after their little wilderness incident - but he could admit, there was a bit of serenity in an autumn day. He closed his eyes and felt the wind brush up against his fur once more as it rustled the leaves and branches above them.

With one last, long slurp, Charlie finished up his latte and sighed. “Oh wow… That really did hit the spot! …Hey, thanks for sharin’ this with me, Panda.”

“Mmhm,” Panda nodded, not opening his eyes, but not looking annoyed or uninterested either, “No problem, Charlie.”

Gently setting his empty cup down, Charlie leaned up against the tree as well - now shoulder to shoulder with his friend. But Panda didn’t mind, not really. Sometimes being close was nice, and sometimes Charlie’s natural friendliness and warmth could be welcomed.

And, if their hands just so happened to touch - long and rough meeting round and stubby, yet still managing to fit together well - or if they ended up moving a little closer, well, maybe that could be alright too. Maybe even a little more than alright.

Wanting to take another sip of his latte, Panda’s eyes opened up. The sun was getting a bit higher now, it’s light now shining through some of the higher leaves and giving them a sort of glowing effect. Definitely late morning, though despite this, Panda didn’t have too much of an intent on leaving just yet. As he enjoyed both the warm taste of his drink and the beautiful natural scene in front of him, he heard the forest creature speak up once more.

“Man…” Charlie started to say as he stretched a bit, his arm now resting ever so slightly around Panda’s shoulders, “I really do love fall.”

Panda smiled softly. “…Yeah,” he quietly replied, leaning into the one-armed hug, “Me too.”

THE END


End file.
